Art Times Oct/Nov Edition 2023

Transcending

Wednesday, 25 October 2023 at 7pm

2nd floor, Brickfield Canvas, Woodstock, Cape Town

PREVIEW

18 - 25 October 2023

Detail of Pierre-Auguste Renoir | Fruits (Oranges et Citrons) | R 2 000 000 - 3 000 000

RUST-EN-VREDE GALLERY

10. M.O.L 41 JOBURG X 3

Ashraf Jamal Column

18. SCULPTX 2023

The Largest Annual Sculpture Fair in the Country

26. SASOL NEW SIGNATURES 2023 Winners Announced

30. PORTRAITURE REMAINS A CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE

36. ONE OF SA’S MOST BELOVED ART INSTITUTIONS Knysna Fine Art Turns 25

42. PORTRAIT AWARD 2023 Winners Announced

By Stefan Hundt, Curator: Sanlam Art Collection

50. THE CLOWN, THE HORSE AND THE HOUND A Selection of Artworks by Female Surrealist Karin Jaroszynska

56. A CELEBRATION OF AFRICAN IDENTITY Inspire, Empower, Elevate

60. FIFTY Five Decades of Lived Experience and Memory

62. HOME Master Printmaker, Joshua Miles Solo Exhibition

68. CENTURY CITY UNVEILS REMARKABLE ANTON SMIT ARTWORK IN THE SUBWAY

74. BUSINESS ART Fine Art Auction highlights

84. ARTGO Exhibition Highlights

Anton Smit, Landscape Of The Soul, Unveiling, 2023

Itgives me great pleasure to bring you this issue of the Art Times that is simply bursting full of fresh, colourful, and new creative ideas. It’s at this point in the year when we move from a long and very generous rainy winter into the last quarter of a very challenging year, where the art industry is starting to blossom and the art community comes out to enjoy themselves even more socially.

But first things first, I would like to congratulate André Serfontein on winning the prestigious Rust en Vrede Gallery 2023 Portrait Award - a well-deserved win - with a strong lineup of 100 great contemporary portrait works. The spectacular red carpet glitzy award event was held at Rust en Vrede Gallery and was attended by the who’s who of Cape Town. Also in the limelight is Nosiviwe Matikinda who won the prestigious 2023 Sasol New Signatures Award.

Many other hot items are covered in this edition including Melrose Gallery SculptX the largest sculpture event in the country, Art@Africa’s show and Anton Smits very original work for a subway at Century City – a work that indeed serves as a transition between two points- that also is innovative - that plays a specially composed piece as one walks through. A special mention goes out to one of my all-time favourite artists and printmakers Joshua Miles who we have the pleasure to see his latest show entitled ‘Home’ at the FynArts Gallery, Hermanus. At such a fresh young age Joshua is doing really well both locally and internationally and reminds me from years back what Ester Russouw said after William Kentridge’s last show at her Gallery International – “we have given him to the World”.

Lastly, my congratulations go out to Trent Read’s Knysna Gallery 25th Birthday, a real game changer in SA art, showing that not all of the great galleries are found in city centres. In this regard, similar galleries like the Prince Albert Gallery, Nirox Sculpture Park, and even the long-closed Strydom Gallery in George whose curators really have the eye to spot SA art diamonds. Well done Trent!

I apologise for not mentioning everyone in this edition, but I am truly grateful for your support for the Art Times magazine and the South African arts community.

Gabriel Clark-Brown

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Rights: the Art Times magazine reserves the right to reject any material that could be found offensive by its readers. Opinions and views expressed in the sa art times do not necessarily represent the official viewpoint of the editor, staff or publisher, while inclusion of advertising features does not imply the newspaper’s endorsement of any business, product or service.

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Out at the Re Mmogo “We are together” Selections from Sanlam and MTN Art Collections

JOBURG X 3

Ashraf Jamal

THE RAW & THE COOKED

Anthropology decrees that the raw/cooked axis is characteristic of all human culture, the ‘raw’ associated with the natural, the cooked with the cultural. But of course, it’s not that easy to separate nurture and nature. Given that ours is the Anthropocene Age, one defined by interpenetration and contamination, neat binaries no longer hold. The world is fluid, and yet, we persist in divvying it up. Indeed, ours is an Age of Extremes.

The game called ‘Opposite’, in which one person says ‘hot’, another says ‘cold’, is something to which we’re hardwired. In modern art, a telling distinction long in operation is primitivism and classicism, the former seen as an outlier wild energy, the latter as a civilized and sedate one. This prejudicial assumption is deep-rooted, the foundation of Europe’s ‘Civilizing Mission’. Though, when Kurtz in the Congo jungle in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness cries – ‘exterminate all the brutes’ – you wonder who in fact is sane and rational, the white supremacist imperialist or those he has oppressed and perceived as brutish? Every document of civilization is also a document of barbarism, notes Walter Benjamin. Paradox is key. Despite our clinically neurotic desire to divide the world, the syncretic prevails.

In two solo shows at Graham Contemporary, in Hyde Park Corner Johannesburg, we see the work of two very different painters, Bob-Nosa and Andrew Kayser. If Bob-Nosa conjures the barbaric and primitive edge associated with Basquiat, or street art, it is because defacement and dissolution is integral to his energy-field. He works at the limits of composure and sobriety, the execution is feral, the mark-making convulsive.

Acrylic and spray paint on canvas speak to an outlier culture. Largely portraits of black men, Bob-Nosa channels the complex of fascination and dread, an age-old stereotypical projection

Bob-Nosa Uwagboe (b. 1974), Power to the People, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 153 x 123cm, 2022

Bob-Nosa Uwagboe (b. 1974), End Police Brutality, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 182 x 122cm, 2020

onto a perceived Other. However, this is a decoy, a tactical ploy, for what we see, in vividly colourful paintings, is a trigger that explodes prejudice. Bob-Nosa exposes and undermines a toxic unthinking position – a cultural prejudice – to reveal a compelling mix of pathos and bombast, gentleness and exaggeration, an attitude about black male style and being that is nuanced, culturally and politically canny, while tapping the primitive resource – definitionally Afro-punk – that is transgressive and wildly fulsome.

In contrast, Andrew Kayser’s paintings of white suburbia are subtly insinuating rather than graphic, ruminative rather than spectacular. If Bob-Nosa is the fauvist – the beast – then Kayser, with his carefully delineated and spaced energy-fields, conjures an inner hidden unquiet and restlessness. His paintings, unlike Bob-Nosa’s, are not objectified visions – visions of objectification – but psychological dramas. Tonally muted, expressively suppressed,

connected to tenuous emotion, Kayser speaks to a long European painterly tradition, in which the psychic embodiment of history and culture is paramount. In Kayser’s case, that culture is white middle-class suburbia caught on the perceived margin – Africa – of a perceived centre – Europe. Kayser’s subtropical vegetal realm exposes the dissonance – the effete white homes, jewel-like blue pools, in the heart of a darkly snarled jungle. The artist’s use of light further exposes this tension –his is a world electrified, paranoid, exposed, vulnerable.

Of course, both Bob-Nosa and Kayser’s worlds are vulnerable. Neither is exempt from prejudice and projection. Both expose the discomfort integral to the habitats they inhabit and evoke. In both, nature and nurture conspire together. There is no way to make clean distinctions. Everything is contaminated, everything obscene/Anthropocene – raw and cooked.

Andrew Kayser (b. 1975), 54 1st Street, Oil on Canvas, 190 x 250cm, 2023

I DECLARE I AM HERE

Caroline Suzman, the grandniece of the legendary Helen Suzman, continues the family tradition of activism – through photography. ‘I stand for simple justice, equal opportunity and human rights’, Helen Suzman declared. They are ‘the indispensable elements in a democratic society – and well worth fighting for’. The vision, though noble, has tragically been betrayed. Instead, we find governmental dereliction, the abandonment of the poor, the negation of opportunity, the embittered selfserving hatred of others, the appalling absence of human rights.

Given this bleak prognosis – comparatively difficult to fully understand from the vantage point of the Western Cape, the only truly functional province in South Africa –nevertheless I have encountered many in Johannesburg who remain optimistic that the city – once the African economic power-house – is on the verge of a turnaround. Like Helen Suzman, we must remain optimistic and fight for justice. This, certainly, is the temperament inherited by her grandniece, Caroline Suzman. At the Turbine Art Fair, housed in Hyde Park Corner in Johannesburg, Suzman’s monumental photographs of people navigating architecture of a bygone era proved stridently current and celebratory. The series, titled ‘I Declare I Am Here’, affirms a right to self and to place. Her portraits are not merely documentary records of a given time and place – the Johannesburg inner-city and its denizens – but an astute capture of the vivacity of the city, the surety and ease of those who occupy it. Hers are psycho-geographic understands of an ‘Afropolitan’ world.

As Achille Mbembe, the Cameroonian philosopher based at the WISER institute in Johannesburg, remarks, ‘Afropolitanism’ is an ‘ethico-political stance’, not a happenstance survivalist cobbling. It is this potent aura of selfhood that pervades Caroline Suzman’s vision. Her men and women, and those fluidly positioned between or without, assume their poses with aplomb. Nelson Chilambo, manager of a trucking company, dressed in the colours of the American flag, with his hand against his heart – the American anthem bizarrely and ironically audible – is positioned in the midst of rubble. The mural behind him, painted by the

LA collective, Cyrcle, is of an overturned throne and crown, while the framing lettering reads –OVER OVER OVER OVER THRONE. The image is potently paradoxical. An inversion of power? The photograph was taken in Doornfontein, an area that was known as ‘Millionaire’s Row’ at the time of the Goldrush of 1886. Suzman explains that the photograph reflects on the ‘building up and the breaking down of political and social orders.’ The settings are essential to the meaning and impact of Suzman’s photographs. Ellen Bennie, an ‘Attendant at the Workers Museum’, poses in a pink offthe-shoulder ruffled top, blue slacks, white handbag, while in the background a white and black hand fist-bump each other. Conviviality? Mutuality? Understanding?

In every photograph, it is this intrinsic compassion that dominates the look, feel, condition. A breathtaking vitality consumes every image. These photographs, emphatically, are not what Susan Sontag defines as ‘memento mori’ – there is nothing funereal, or existentially fraught about Suzman’s vision. In fact, her images radically counter the morbid view of the photographic image as a mere cut-out out

Priska Mpofu on her way to a service at Rock of Victory Ministries says, ‘the church is everything to me’, Newtown, Johannesburg 1 July 2018.

of time, disconnected from the complex flow of life. Contra Sontag, Suzman’s photographs do not ‘actively promote nostalgia’. While she might agree with Sontag that ‘photography is an elegiac art’, for her it is not a ‘twilight art’ – notwithstanding the despairing realization that Johannesburg is in tatters, destroyed by corruption and mismanagement. Rather, it is the photographer’s great aunt’s vision of justice and equality that prevails, a heartwarming hope, against despair, that human life remains sacred and beautiful, empowering and good. Consider ‘Prisca Mpofu, en route to a Rock of Victory Ministries church service’, shot in Newtown in 2018. The framing of the breathtakingly elegant central figure is exquisite, the life-affirming tension of beauty and decay sonorous.

SAUCE WITH SAS

Johannesburg’s premier event, and the longest running Art Fair in South Africa, is now over, but events, despite the guillotine of time, never end – everything everywhere reverberates all the time. This is the wonder of life, if we are prepared to quit our silos. On the final Sunday, I spoke with Joy Woolcott, Production Manager and VIP coordinator, and, long ago, a student

of mine at Rhodes University. A born and bred Joburger, Woolcott was thrilled by the flood of ‘young black urban attendees’, the pulse of regeneration, the hopeful realization that, at the precipice of collapse, Johannesburg is ‘entering a new cycle’.

It is of course impossible not to feel optimistic about a city, especially when pottering about the many wondrous booths of an art fair that proved easeful in its circulation. There were no serried rows of cubby-holes, rather, the entire space felt aerated and open, this ingenious ergonomic and spatial orchestration the vision of the fair’s chief administrator, Kim Kandan, an elegant effete silver-haired youth. It is he who invited me to do a walkabout, a role in the at world which I love above all others, because it is then that one interfaces and engages with what we euphemistically term the ‘general public’.

Of course, nothing of the sort exists – there is nothing general or generic about human life –which is why I framed the walkabout around three vital and competing sagas in the present moment. The first biopolitics – the rights of the body, racism and sexism, patriarchal power

Nelson Chilambo, manager of a trucking company on his way to work. Dominating the street is an artwork by Cyrcle, ‘I love America! Joburg is good! In Zambia there are no jobs,’ he says, laughing and jumping out of the house and making his way up the pot-holed street. Doornfontein, Johannesburg, 13 May 2018

Ellen Bennie, an attendant at the Worker’s Museum.

and its comeuppance – the second, ecological politics, the critical matter of ecological survival, in what is an Anthropocene Age, one created and destroyed by humans. As for the third – Abstraction – more on that in a moment. For now, consider the urgent subjective concerns of the private body, and the greater global concern regarding the fate of the earth. We, each one of us, is caught between the private and personal, the public and global. Navigating this spectrum is never easy.

Having established this complex pivot, I then introduced the audience to a variety of artworks which embraced nature and the denatured, custom and modernity, the past and the present, to thereby affirm the continuation of a vulnerable thread. At the centre of the show stood Deborah Bell’s bronze riders on a chariot, perfectly self-possessed in a wild green landscape. The year before, in this very position, stood a deceptively floating sculpture by Zanele Muholi and a monumental relief work by Usha Seejarim of spanned wings built with the metal plates of domestic irons. Apart from the inspirational force of these sculptures, one could not ignore their strategic biopolitical placement – Sir Zanele Muholi, who confounds

gendered categorization, and Usha Seejarim, an artist-mother-housewife who finds the miraculous in seeming drudgery, beauteous wonder and possibility within the seemingly ordinary – in the metal plate of an iron, say. This year it was Deborah Bell and Walter Oltmann who assumed centre-stage. Oltmann, winner of the Nirox Sculpture Prize for 2023, presented the armour of a warrior – Japanese? A figure from the Crusades? – made of threaded black wire. It is not the figure we see, but its exoskeleton, its husk, for what intrigues Oltmann is the void that consumes being – the precarious realization of our in-existence, despite the desperate will on our part to assert ourselves. It is this precarity – between Being and Nothingness – which defined the temperature or mood of the affair, as it were. Gerda Scheepers’ deconstructed abstract work, a scantily stretched black canvas against the exposed black wooden rigging, posed the key question regarding matter – what matters, what defines being? In her case a work that defies content, empties substance. Unsurprisingly, this work was staged by Blank, a gallery whose deconstructive agency has endured, against the struggle for substance and identity.

That said, a heated debate ensued regarding the Rights of Portraiture, our need to be seen and recognised, and why, intriguingly, a painterly tradition defined by wealth and power, has now become common fair, each and every one of us given the right to be photographed and seen. This focus was especially the case, in recent years, presented under the moniker – Black Portraiture. Why, one wonders, has black portraiture assumed global traction? Because the black body, after Ralph Ellison, was once perceived as ‘invisible’? Because, from our radical new ethico-political standpoint, we must hold fast to the Rights of the Black Body? But then, what of the exploitation of this reality, its expedient use, the Black Body in the art world as a novel variation of an age-old slave trade? Opinions were vexed, as they should be. Intriguingly, unlike in previous fairs, black portraiture did not dominate the scene. As Woolcott noted, ‘florals’ were omnipresent too – an ode to nature, domesticity, the vanitas tradition, best exemplified by the enduring appeal of Georgina Gratrix’s glutinous

Selwyn Steyn, Double Decker, 2023, Oil on Linen in Cardboard Frame 60 x 42 cm.

densely plastered oils. But, furthermore, it was Abstraction that prevailed – the third term, following the matters of biopolitics and ecological politics – the need, against the burdens of the world, to liberate oneself from group-think, oppressive consensus, and, in the vacuum permitted, to find the art which best speaks to the greater depths of our singularity. Because, of course, art only truly matters when it communicates itself singularly to each of us in its own singular way.

For my part, I was compelled by Francis Goodman’s ceramic sculptures with their medicinal theme – the body in pain, the need for painkillers. Or, by Shepherd Ndudzo’s carved carbuncular lead wood planes. Or, Selwyn Steyn’s brilliant reveal of the frangibility of Johannesburg’s urban surfaces and built environment – the friable tangibility and glow of dust. Or, Jake Aikman’s dense and thickly glutinous visions of the sea, contrasted with its thin realistically delineated visions of the

Sphephelo Mnguni, Sir Williams, Acrylic paint on canvas, 79.2 x 93.4cm, 2023

seas fathomlessness and opacity. Or, then again, Pia Truscott’s tender retooling of plastic waste, hers an abstract portrait of the horrors of human excess, nevertheless beautified. Though, one portrait of the musician and current creative director of Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams, delightfully nagged me. Painted by Sphephelo Mnguni, it shows the singer-designer with a wide bling grin, studded with precious stones. Here was a figure of a black man and power-broker that was not objectified, but wholly in control of the narrative. This, in many ways, also typified the young dealership in which the painting hung –BKhz – which embodies Joy Woolcott’s zeal regarding a novel, demystified, cool vision of blackness now. Others will have seen other art that compelled them more deeply. Such is the fact, fate, wonder of life. If the Johannesburg

Art Fair was, to me, a triumph, it was because of the optimism it engendered, the embrace of novelty and youth, the creation of new young collectors, and the staging of works by our bright new young things.

Joy Woolcott was correct, the city of Johannesburg, the South African art world, is ‘entering a new cycle’. ‘We’ve got stuff going on’, Woolcott resumed. ‘People, artists, are working beyond’ their remit. At this point Woolcott’s younger brother, Lawrence Lowdon, appears. An intern at Grey’s Advertising, he has just come up with an approved brand logo for a condiment – SAS, Sauce with SaS. That’s Johannesburg, that’s its premier art fair – A Sauce with Sas!

Deborah Bell

2023/09 FNB ArtFair Installation

Shepard Ndudzo

Selwyn Styne

Walter Oltman

Knysna Fine Art is one of South Africa’s finest and largest galleries. Situated in the

Norman O’Flynn

SCULPTX 2023

The largest annual sculpture fair in the country themelrsegallery.com

TheMelrose Gallery is pleased to announce the launch of the 6th instalment of SculptX, the largest sculptural fair of its kind in South Africa. This year, it presents over 200 works crafted from an array of eco-conscious materials, ranging from reclaimed wood and recycled glass to sustainable bronze, and responsibly sourced stone. In an era where environmental consciousness is paramount, SculptX not only showcases the versatility of the traditional art medium but also highlights the dedication of South African artists to sustainable practices. Additionally, the fair explores figurative works that celebrate the human body, pay homage to the natural world, or delve into the built environment. In contrast, abstract sculptures captivate the viewer with their form, texture, and lines, offering a sensory feast.

At its core, SculptX offers a platform for African sculptors to present their artistic narratives to a wider audience. It serves as a dynamic stage where these artists explore the boundaries of form, space, and concept, reflecting their rich cultural backgrounds and individual artistic journeys. SculptX 2023, will be running from 1 September to 27 October.

Right: Pierre Fourie, Realization (Face), 2022, Aluminium

The Melrose Gallery, known for its steadfast support of emerging and established artists, actively promotes and sells the exhibited works. Through the gallery, associated events, online platforms, newsletters, and various activations, SculptX provides a remarkable opportunity for artists to connect with collectors, curators, and fellow art professionals. SculptX 2023 is not just an isolated event; it continues The Melrose Gallery’s commitment to showcasing the finest contemporary art from Africa. This event reminds one of the pivotal role that galleries like The Melrose Gallery play in nurturing artistic talent and providing a stage for emerging artists to share their voices and visions. Galleries are vital in fostering the growth of the art world by offering artists opportunities to exhibit their works and gain recognition. SculptX embodies this spirit, cultivating new artistic voices and encouraging the diverse and inclusive landscape of the art world.

Exploring Themes at SculptX 2023

Sustainability Artworks

In the ‘Sustainability Artworks’ category, artists explore sustainability through their narratives and the mediums they work with. These artists, much like nature itself, emphasize the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. By delving into this cycle, they also address critical issues such as poverty, rectification, and racial injustice, all while advocating for climate justice.

At the heart of their work is an acknowledgment that a significant part of the problem lies in our lack of awareness, which often leads us to overlook the sensory and emotional connections we have with the environment and nature. This awareness gap highlights a deep sorrow that exists within humanity, one that is reflected in the challenges faced by Mother Nature herself

“SculptX embodies this spirit, cultivating new artistic voices and encouraging the diverse and inclusive landscape of the art world.”

Dr. Willie Bester, Guitar, 2023

Cecilia Wilmot Ballam The Dream, 2023, Bronze

Ben Tuge, Screaming, 2023, Wood (stained)

Phumzile Buthelezi, Abosisi bendawo (ladies of the location), 2023 Wood, textile, plastic spray paint, wire and hot glue

Sculptures Exploring Movement

In the following catalogue “Sculptures Exploring Movement” the artists employ their craft to depict dynamic expressions. Through their innovative works, they seek to convey the inherent fluidity of motion, capturing the grace and energy associated with various forms of movement. These sculptures transcend static representation, providing viewers with an opportunity to engage in a study of kinetic artistry, where the interface between sculpture and motion is systematically examined, offering a nuanced exploration of movement encapsulated within the realm of art.

Story Meets Medium

In this section, we delve into the realm of narrative sculpture. These artists demonstrate a distinct ability to convey stories and narratives through their sculptural compositions. Each sculpture serves as a vessel for a unique narrative, facilitating a comprehensive exploration of visual storytelling. These practitioners utilize the sculptural medium

as a conduit for the expression of emotions, historical contexts, and imaginative narratives, offering viewers an opportunity to engage with multifaceted stories in a tactile and visual format. This section serves as a platform for a thorough examination of the intersection between sculpture and narrative, shedding light on the intricate techniques sculptors employ to convey compelling and meaningful stories.

Form

The “Form” category, artists engage with the fundamental elements of sculpture: form, space, and composition. They challenge and reevaluate these aspects in their works. Notable academic writers like Rosalind Krauss and Clement Greenberg have explored the concept of form in sculpture, contributing valuable insights to this field. These artists invite viewers to contemplate how sculptures exist within three-dimensional space, enriching the ongoing discourse on sculpture’s essence and its relationship with its surrounding.

Above: Hendrien Horn, Fossil 24, 2022, Clay 3D Print, Opposite page: Keith Calder, Attitude, Bronze

Corne du Plessis, #6, 2023, Ceramic Porcelain, 25 x 16 x 16 cm

Reflections

In the ‘Reflections’ section, artists engage in a nuanced exploration that melds tradition and self-examination. Much like the enduring verses of African poetry, reverberating across generations, these creators navigate the complex terrain of heritage and identity. Their sculptural endeavors serve as allegorical narratives, inscribed in the annals of time, emblematic of resilience, transformation, and critical introspection. Each sculpture serves as a reflection, offering a profound examination of historical continuities and contemporary reckonings. ‘Reflections’ emerges as an inquiry into the role of art as a reflective surface, illuminating the enduring traditions that inform our cultural landscape while amplifying the voices that seek to deconstruct established narratives.”

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Alan Ainslie, André Stead, André Prinsloo, Anita Finken, Annemie Odendaal, Arno Morland, Ben Tuge, Bercia Roos, Bridget Modema, Bulumko Mbete, Candice Kramer, Carl Roberts, Carol Cauldwell, Cassian Robbertze, Cecilia Wilmot Ballam, Ciara Dunsby, Clive Sithole, Corne Du Plessis, Cornelia Stoop, David Hlongwane, Debbie Farnaby, Diana Miller, Dominique Albinski, Elizabeth Balcomb, Esther Mahlangu, Gill Glyn-Jones, Gordon

Froud, Hannelie Coetzee, Heike Taschner Jeske, Heike Davies, Hendrien Horn, Ilana Seati, Irvin Nkwanyana, James Cook, Jenny Nijenhuis, Jo Rogge, Joanne Mcgilvray, Kathy Robins, Keith Zenda, Keith Calde, Kennth Shandu, Kganya Mogashoa, Landia Davies, Lebohang Motaung, Louis Chanu, Luyanda Mkhize, Malebogo Molokoane, Marieke Prinsloo, Maritza Breitenbach, Mark Chapman, Mark Swart, Martli Jansen Van Rensburg, Mhlonishwa Chiliza, Nicola Roos, Nindya Bucktowar, Olwethu De Vos, Phahlo Mtangai, Philiswa Lila, Phillipah Rumano, Phumzile Buthelezi, Pierre Fourie, Pitika Ntuli, Rirhandzu Makhubele, Sahlah Davids, Samuel Allerton, Sandro Trapani, Sarah Richards, Simon Zitha, Siyabulela Ndodana, St John Fuller, Strijdom Van Der Merwe, Tamary Kudita, Tawanda Mcdonald, Tay Dall, Thato Kokwana, Theophelus Rikhotso, Uwe Pfaff, Willie Bester, Wilma Cruise and Zenande Mketeni.

For those unable to attend in person the exhibition please use the link below to access the online exhibition

www.themelrosegallery.com/sculptx_1/

Or for more information contact craig@themelrosegallery.com

The 6th edition of the largest annual sculpture fair in South Africa with over 60 artists presenting more than 250 sculptures in Melrose Arch.

GQEBERHA STUDENT NOSIVIWE MATIKINCA WINS 2023 SASOL NEW SIGNATURES ART

COMPETITION

sasolsignatures.co.za

Nosiviwe

Matikinca (22), a third-year student from Gqeberha has been announced as the winner of the 2023 Sasol New Signatures Art Competition. Matikinca walks away with a cash prize of R100 000 and an opportunity to have a solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum in 2024.

Matikinca won the coveted title for her work titled Ndiziphiwe -They were given to me, a ceramic installation about underprivileged learners who wear school shoes that are handed down to them by their older siblings or family members. By immortalising these shoes through the ceramic slip-casting method, they have been given a new purpose. This process also enables the artist to capture the essence of the used shoes, including every mark, scratch and hole. As ceramic sculptures, the shoes have been symbolically restored, but are also very fragile and breakable. This fragility is a metaphor for the precarity of the public schooling system of our country, where black South African learners are subjected to sub-standard education.

Mondli Mbhele, Umazisi, Fabric collage on canvas, 159 cm x 123,1cm

Pfunzo Sidogi, Chairperson of the Sasol New Signatures Competition, said: “This year, 765 entries were submitted throughout the country. While the volume of entries declined from last year, the narrative power of the artworks was just as loud and profound. Poverty, love, religion, rape, climate change, displacement, are some of the individual and collective narratives captured throughout the hundreds of submissions. Every person has a story that needs to be told and I am particularly proud that this competition provides a space for all creative voices to be heard and seen”.

For 33 years Sasol has been the proud sponsor of the New Signatures competition, which was established by the Association of Arts Pretoria in the late 1960’s, “Sasol takes pride in helping to provide a platform for our nation’s burgeoning artistic voices to share their stories with a wider audience and record this for posterity. Sasol congratulates all the winners of the 2023 Sasol New Signatures Art Competition, as well as those artists whose works were selected for this exhibition. We wish them all a prosperous future ahead” said Elton Fortuin, Sasol Vice President: Group Communications and Brand Management.

The 5 Merit award winners are (alphabetical order):

Matthew David Blackburn (29)Johannesburg

Suffocation

Acrylic on hardboard

Michelle Czarnecki (39) - Cape Town

There is still time I Ribbon thread on linen

Themba Mkhangeli from Cape Town (28) was crowned runner-up and awarded R25 000 for his work entitled Amawele. The portrait of twin sisters, who reside in the artist’s neighbourhood, pays homage to their beauty and innocence, embodied through the unerasable process of ink pen drawing. Although gender-based violence inserts unerasable marks on women that hurt and scar them, the unerasable mark-making used in this drawing does the opposite, because it celebrates and honours the beauty of women. The diamond shape between them is the symbol of beauty which he always finds in women, it also creates a balance between the two figures.

Ofentse Letebele (King Debs) (34) - Cape Town

Bina & Neo

Mixed media – acrylic paint on MDF

Thabo Treasure Mofokeng (37)Johannesburg

Restoration

Acrylic paint and glass

Taryn Emily Noppé (21) - Gqeberha

Vertigo

Ink and graphite on Fabriano

Each Merit Award winner received a R10 000 cash prize.

“For 33 years Sasol has been the proud sponsor of the New Signatures competition.”

Matthew David Blackburn

Michelle Czarnecki

“My sincerest appreciation goes to all the judges who served on the various panels this year both regionally and for the final judging. We were so privileged to have such leading experts and passionate champions of the art industry as part of the process this year. Their professionalism, exceptional knowledge and experience are evident in the calibre of artworks that made it into the catalogue and exhibition,” continued Sidogi.

“On behalf of Sasol, we congratulate all the winners of the 2023 Sasol New Signatures Art Competition, as well as those whose works were selected for this exhibition, and wish them all the best for the future. We also extend our gratitude to the Association of Arts Pretoria for their dedication and hard work, as well as to our partners, the City of Tshwane, the Pretoria Art Museum and Stuttaford Van Lines, for their continued and loyal support,” concluded Fortuin.

Ingoma Yothando, or Song of Love translated from isiZulu, is the solo exhibition by Mondli Mbhele, winner of Sasol New Signatures 2022 and was also unveiled at the Pretoria Art Museum on 6 September. Mbhele’s medium

of choice is fabric collage, as for him it shares similarities with our daily lives. Fabric covers our bodies, while boosting our confidence and providing a new canvas for each day. Mbhele collects offcuts of fabric from various fusion artists in Durban and Johannesburg for use in his collages. He realised that these offcuts have different qualities and value or worth, but when discarded they become a metaphor for a state of vulnerability. By collecting and using these offcuts, he creates a new dialogue between that which is discarded and its worth.

The Sasol New Signatures exhibition featuring the work of the 2023 winners and finalists, takes place at the Pretoria Art Museum from 7 September until 29 October 2023. All the finalists are included in the competition catalogue available online. The exhibition can also be viewed virtually on the website. All works are available for sale.

For more information: www.sasolsignatures.co.za

Ofentse Letebele (King Debs)

Thabo Treasure Mofokeng

Taryn Emily Noppé

Runner up - Themba Mkhangeli

PORTRAITURE REMAINS A CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE

By Stefan Hundt, Curator: Sanlam Art Collection

ThisSeptember in Cape Town can most readily be titled “Portrait Month”. One of the highlights being the award of the biannual Portrait Award at the Rust en Vrede gallery where forty superb portraits can be viewed. A further 60 portraits, making up the top 100 entries into the competition can be viewed at Union House in the city. Add to this Zeitz MOCCA’s show When we see Us, the Maggie Laubser Portraits and the Landscape exhibition at the Norval Foundation, Sanlam Art Gallery’s A Particular Presence and the Iziko South African National Gallery’s “Breaking down the Walls” which has many portraits on show, one has a veritable feast of portraiture to consume. Perhaps more gourmand than gourmet such a plethora of images focused on the human face to be seen in one city is rather unique and deserves acknowledgement and perhaps also a closer look at what portraiture is and can be.

Portraiture makes up a significant part of art history in the Western World – from the commemorative funerary art in Egypt, the inscribing of presence in Medieval altarpiece, the celebratory bombast of Napoleonic France, the baroque sombre self-reflection of Rembrandt to the globulus abstractions of Frank Auerbach and Francis Bacon, it remains one of those genres that has retained a position of prominence in contemporary practice. Constantly evolving from memorialisation and iconisation in its broadest sense to psychic introspection the painted portrait has become one of the touchstones of the western painting traditions.

Other art making traditions in Asia, Africa and South America also contain “portraits”, but not with the same obsessive focus on likeness and personality as in the West.

Above: 2018, Arthur-Kate-Genna and Felix, oil on canvas Opposite: 2005, Asha-Zero, Semi-Rambo, oil on board, 2005

1989, Trevor-Harry, Selfportrait, oil on canvas

Morkel-Coenrad Johannes (CJ), Hotnotsgot and I, 1992, airbrushed duco on board, 2000

2015, Pace John, After the Match, Winner, 2015 Sanlam Portrait Award

Frank Auerbach, Head of Julia,1985

1968, Stern-Irma, Portraitof a Young Malay Girl, oil on canvas-1939.

Maggie Laubser, 1886 - 1973. coloured woman with a pink blouse, 1926. oil on cardboard

The necessity of visual likeness remains a core desirable within Western European reception of portraiture as an art. The various portrait painting competitions held worldwide invariably present very similar results. The head and shoulder straight on view of the sitter. Often with the aid of the photograph and a skilful combination of brushwork and composition these portraits are admired but rarely loved or survive the era they are made in. Besides the portraits of the celebrated individuals, there are few artists whose skill at portraiture have far outlived their lifetime and that of their peers. Too many to mention here. Yet what seems to be common to almost all of them is the artist’s non-conformity to the acceptable practice of their time. Rembrandt and Van Gogh being two notable artists. Likeness is not thrown out of the window it remains a core “competency” in both artists’ works – the medium is worked obsessively and repeatedly. The aim not to reproduce the smoothness of skin or fineness of hair in paint, but to make the medium a metaphor for meaning beyond the surface. Similarly, the heavily worked paintings of Frank Auerbach and Francis Bacon on close inspection reveal

the sitter’s features. In some way or other the painterly mark begins to evolve into a “language” and grammar of its own unique to the image yet as viewers, when we apply our mind, eye and experience to the image, we begin to understand and appreciate what before was on initial observation looked like just a blob of paint, a flurry of gestural marks or haze of colours.

The veristic portrait holds sway in much of the art world today and retains its place of honour and it fulfils an important role in our understanding of art, image and celebrity. Our appreciation of such paintings is derived from a combination of skill and the recognition of the sitter permanently transfixed. Inevitably it is as transient as the maker and the subject. Against the background of the dominance of installation and performance practices in the contemporary artworld, the current exhibitions on show – portraiture is still “contemporary”. A Particular Presence: Portraits from the Sanlam Art Collection is on view at the Sanlam Art Gallery until 03 November 2023.

Johann-Louw, Self Portrait, oil on canvas, 2008

Rembrandt van Rijn, Self Portrait, The Met-Detail

Particular PresencePortraits from the Sanlam Art Collection

A selection of 55 portraits dating from 1896 to the present. From the company “chairman” to anguished self-representations of the artist, including the winning works from the Sanlam Portrait Award 2013 - 2019.

Sanlam Art Gallery

2 Strand Road, Bellville

On view until 3 November 2023

Open Mondays to Friday 09:00 – 16:30

Tel: 021 947 3359 WhatsApp: 0834572699

Email: sanlamart@sanlam.co.za

Irma Stern, Malay Girl, 1939

John Pace, After the Match, 2015

Harry Trevor, Self -portrait, 1940

Selwn Pekeur, Self-portrait with Maidba, 2003

Breyten Breytenbach, Woord, 1999

ONE OF SA’S MOST BELOVED ART INSTITUTIONS KNYSNA FINE ART TURNS 25

finearts.co.za

For all its attractions and its significant position in the minds of South Africans, Knysna remains a small town, with a smalltown economy in which running a business is a difficult and sometimes a fraught affair – so there’s much to celebrate when a local company reaches a significant milestone like a quarter of a century in business.

Knysna Fine Art was established in 1998 by Trent Read, a fifth-generation art dealer who had previously worked in Johannesburg, London and San Antonio. Trent is the son of the doyen of South African art dealers, Everard Read.

“The decision to move to Knysna was an easy one,” said Trent. “It was just after ‘94, we had a new country, and my son had just been born. I’d spent my childhood summer holidays in Knysna, and I wanted my children to grow up in this kind of environment rather than in the shopping malls of Johannesburg. “It’s still the best decision I’ve made.”

Trent opened the doors of Knysna Fine Art in a restored woodworker’s shop on Gray Street – a small, gabled building that he converted into a light-filled, three-roomed space that brought a new concept to Knysna: the finest contemporary art shown in fresh, uncluttered exhibitions designed to showcase the works at their best.

Trent is passionate about developing new talent, and from the beginning, devoted Knysna Fine Art to showing the works of young people who are themselves passionate about making art – alongside established artists whose works would belong in any fine gallery, anywhere in the world.

After the property that housed the Gray Street gallery was sold for development, Trent moved to another space further up the road – “which I hated” – and then finally, about ten years ago, into his present premises in the historic Thesen House.

Knysna Fine Art- Classical Space

To mark the 25th anniversary, he has now taken over additional space in the building, bringing the total floorspace of the gallery to 900 square metres – making it the largest contemporary gallery in the Western Cape.

Although it’s an autonomous business, Knysna Fine Art works closely with Trent’s family business, the Everard Read Group, which has galleries in Johannesburg, Franschhoek, London and Cape Town, and with others such as the new Gallery at Steyn City.

Trent and the Gallery’s curator, Corlie de Kock, consult to museums as well as corporate and private collectors both in South Africa and abroad, and offer expert advice on selection of pieces, and on the care and maintenance of collections. They also consult to architects and designers on the design of exhibition spaces, and they value art for insurance and probate purposes.

Trent and Corlie work closely as a team. Said Trent; “Our aesthetics are very similar in many ways, and for the first time in my life, I don’t have to worry about the aesthetics of the gallery – I can go away and come back and know it will look good.”

Trent devotes much of his time to the artists he represents, and takes delight in watching them grow in their chosen disciplines. He cites two examples in Lucinda Mudge and Phillemon Hlungwani.

“Lucinda is a ceramicist who’s come a long way – a local girl whose work is now in the Guggenheim in Bilbao – while Phillemon came from a tiny village in Limpopo and, with the help of training at the Johannesburg Art Foundation (where he learned from people like Kentridge and Simon Stone) has become a world-leading artist.

“Nowhere in the world are people working with his kind of expertise,” said Trent.

Asked about highlights of his time in Knysna, Trent said that surviving at all is a highlight in itself.

“The art market is tough, and the art market in Knysna is even tougher: it hasn’t been an easy journey. That we are still here and that we’re growing is the great success story – very few galleries last this long.

Knysna Fine Art Contemporary Space

Angela Banks, Dark Night Courting, oil on canvas, 150 x 120cm

Norman O’Flynn, Portrait of the Klein Karoo, Acrylic paint and plexiglass, 95 x 80cm

Joel Mamboka, Nkumu Megan, paint and fabric mixed media on canvas 120x100cm

I ascribe this to the quality of the artists and to some fabulous, loyal, and knowledgeable collectors and clients.

“But it would be invidious to pick out any individual artists or exhibitions as highlights – we’ve seen so many gorgeous things come through our doors.”

He said that the market is currently, “surprisingly buoyant.

“The rand plays an important role because foreigners are a big part of our market, and we export a large number of works every year –but it shouldn’t be forgotten that local artists punch way above their weight when it comes to sophistication and quality,” and – importantly since sculpture forms a large proportion of the Gallery’s turnover – “our local (South African) foundries put out a level of product you can’t easily replicate.”

The Gallery often plays the role that museums would play in larger centres - a role that’s unusual for commercial galleries.

During October, Knysna Fine Art is hosting Willem Boshoff’s ‘Blind Alphabet’ installation, which is part of the matric art syllabus.

“It’s an astonishing work where the captions on the artefacts are made in Braille, rather than in plain text – or, as Boshoff puts it on his website (willemboshoff.com), it “enables English-speaking blind people to reverse the pattern and guide the sighted in the privileged environment of the art gallery.”

“This will be the first in a series of wonderful installations loaned by a major collector,” said Trent. “We want the gallery to be used by the community as the resource it is – it’s fun, hopefully challenging, sometimes disturbing, and always free. “

Knysna Fine Art opens its 25th Anniversary Exhibition on the 23rd of November 2023, with a gala event celebrating its landmark birthday –another milestone in “the slow and steady grind and exponential growth” of one of the country’s most beloved art institutions.

Contact the curator: corlie@finearts.co.za

082 689 5159

Trent Read: trent@finearts.co.za

082 552 72 62

Above: Lee-Ann Heath, Bloom Bloom Mountain, oil on canvas, 140 x 200cm

Opposite Page: Jan Tshikhuthula, Spirit of Hope,charcoal and dry pastel on cotton paper,155 x 120 cm

PORTRAIT AWARD 2023

Rust-en-Vrede Gallery, Durbanville

1st place, Serfontein, André, The Prince and Princess of Prince Street, 79 x 59 cm, Oil on Canvas, 2023

Portraiture exists not only to portray a physical likeness of the sitter, but naturally conveys a sense of who the sitter is –capturing an essence of the subject’s identity or life story – be it photorealistic, illustrative, painterly, or even abstract.

It is a common misconception that portraiture should always be of a photorealistic nature. Although the final selection of this year’s Portrait Award competition contains several strong portraits in this style, the overall winning piece ultimately captured the judges’ attention through the masterful application of various painting techniques and visual storytelling. The unusual and highly successful distortion and elongation of the face and figure placed the painting in a category of its own. These distortions, almost reminiscent (albeit stylistically different) of artworks by Egon Schiele and Modigliani, are rendered anatomically believable, showing that the painter has a deep understanding of the human form. ‘The Prince and Princess of Prince Street (Johan & Bongi)’ showed more than enough skill and charm to earn its creator - André Serfontein - the coveted first prize.

Serfontein’s portrait was one of 850 digital entries received from all over South Africa this year – each attempting to capture the human form in various ways. From these entries, 250 were selected to come to the gallery for onsite adjudication.

The panel, consisting of well-respected artists and educators, Elizabeth Gunter, Paul Emsley and Rose Kirumira, made their final selection of 100 portraits via an anonymous adjudication process and after much deliberation, the winning portraits were selected. These inspiring artworks were created by Themba Mkhangeli (Ryno Swart Drawing Medal), Juria le Roux (Fifth Place), Marié Stander (Fourth Place), Leanne Olivier (Third Prize), Willem Pretorius (Second Prize) and André Serfontein (First Prize).

2nd place, Pretorius, Willem, Kewpie, 78 x 63 cm, Oil on Canvas, 2023

3d place, Olivier, Leanne Ann, 131 x 100 cm, Oil on Canvas, 2023

4th - Marié Stander, Afwagtend, 81 x 114.5 cm, Charcoal on Cotton Paper, 2023

Adlard, Michelle, Before the Hospital, After the Seizure

Albertyn, Maricel, My Mother

Maarschalk, Mariette, Ma 2023

Anderson, Janine, Sunday Afternoon Tea

Coetsee Carstens, Ydi, Vivian in sy Studio

5th - Le Roux, Juria, Onherroeplik, 61 x 76cm, Oil on Canvas, 2023

Ryno Swart Drawing Medal, Mkhangeli, Themba, Nozazi, Ballpoint pen on paper, 74 x 55cm

Du Toit, Francois, Sannie

Roos, Xenia, Keli

Beaton, Revalle, Resigned

Blackburn, Matthew, Plastic

Els, Talitha, Blue

Feldman, Lara, Josie

Fenn, Patricia, Pat by Pat

Beukes, Eben, Detached

Bollers, Richard, Coming Out in the Sunshine

Beukes, Kayla, In Touch with Boas

Du Plessis, Christelle, A Quiet Intensity

Griffiths, Natasha, Shamus

Kellerman, Ronel, Tshepo’s Journey

Muteweri, Nokutenda E, El Gringo III

O’Connor, Isobel, Quietude

Onderstall, Tiffany, Art is My Cup of Coffee. Music, My Glass of Wine

Gumede, Siyabonga, Mood

Kellow, Ada-Ruth, Monk of Fordsburg

Hugo, Lena, My Taskmaster

Knox, Alexander, My Mother II

Reardon, Anne, Youthful Hope and Dreams

Venter, Annelie, The Donor

Wolffs, Kirsty, New Beginnings Viljoen, Jacques, Portrait of Fatima February at the Iziko National Gallery

Vermaas, Sue, She Left When Living Became Unbearable

Venter, Annelie, The Recipient

Traut, Janet, Ouma Nollie

Van der Merwe, Charl, Emotional Journey

The Top 100 portraits can currently be viewed at two exhibition spaces: The Top 40 (including the winning portraits) at the Rust-en-Vrede Gallery in Durbanville and the remaining 60 at the Spier Arts Trust Union House in Cape Town (in an exhibition titled PORTRAIT 100). Art lovers residing outside of the Western Cape can look forward to seeing the Top 40 ‘in the flesh’, as these works will also be exhibited at the Pretoria Art Museum in November, and at the KZNSA Gallery in Durban from January 2024 (final dates to be determined).

Organizing for the 2025 rendition of the Portrait Award competition has already begun, and artists can start planning their future winning portrait. With so much creative potential in South Africa, the next competition year promises to be another rousing display of talent.

The winning works, along with the other Top 40 portraits, will be on display at Rust-enVrede Gallery in Durbanville, Cape Town, from 2 September until 2 November 2023 during gallery hours. www.rust-en-vrede.com / 068 457 8589 / gallery@rust-en-vrede.com / Rust-en-Vrede Gallery + Clay Museum, 10 Wellington Road, Durbanville, 7550.

See 60 more of the Top 100 selected portraits at the Spier Arts Trust Union House Exhibition Space in Cape Town CBD, in an exhibition titled PORTRAIT 100. This exhibition will run from 4 September until 13 October 2023. www.spierartstrust.co.za / info@spierartstrust. co.za / 021 461 2679 / Union House, 25 Commercial Street, Cape Town, 8000

Lucas, Justin, Yellow

THE CLOWN, THE HORSE AND THE HOUND

A selection of artworks by female surrealist Karin Jaroszynska

By Yolanda de Kock Oliewenhuis Art Museum nasmus.co.za

Village riders, 1974, four-colour lithograph

Oliewenhuis

Art Museum is giving honour to the life and work of an incredible artist, Karin Jaroszynska (19342014). Oliewenhuis holds 20 artworks of Jaroszynska in its Permanent Collection. Most of the works, including the Helsinkiseries, were part of a generous donation by the art collector and philanthropist Fernand F. Haenggi to Oliewenhuis in 2006; the remainder were purchased by Oliewenhuis. Her work - surrealist, playful and somewhat mysterious - shows Jaroszynska’s extraordinary talent and artistic integrity.

The clown, the horse and the hound was an exhibition, specifically curated, to highlight interesting elements in Jaroszynska’s work. The Helsinki-series, mostly a combination of coloured lithographs and dry point etchings, contains mysterious figures and animals in desolated landscapes or settings. This series was conceptualised in 1974 in collaboration with her husband, Tadeusz. These two artists’ work show striking similarity of surrealist imagery and styles. It could be said that from 1973 Karin’s distinctive style had become evident and this was to develop and progress over the next few years.

Karin Jaroszynska was born and raised in Finland. She married fellow artist Tadeusz Jaroszynski in 1954 and then moved to South Africa in 1957. This female surrealist’s work was exhibited in a number of local and international exhibitions such as in Helsinki, Cape Town and Johannesburg. She was represented by Gallery 21 at the ART fair Basel and in London in 1974. Her excellent draughtsmanship is noteworthy and her compositions predominantly consist of figurative subject matter.

Jaroszynska was a printmaker by trade, with a specific preference for etching and the intricate process of lithography. Her earlier work, however, did consist of ink and wash as well as tempera paintings. The surrealist undertone in her concept and subject matter persists throughout her oeuvre.

The 20th century surrealism movement is a genre that specifically refers to art (often executed in an extremely realistic manner) that involves themes of a dream world or the subconscious mind. International artists such as Salvador Dali, René Magritte and Max Ernst, to name a few, were seen as the pioneers in surrealist art. South African surrealist artists such as Alexis Preller, Walter Battiss and Helen Sebidi have worked in similar surrealistic styles but their subject matter also reflect the sensitive history of South Africa during the 1970’s that includes apartheid, identity and social change. Walter Battiss, for example, created the famous Fook Island as a conceptual fantasy during the 1970’s. Roger van Wyk stated that:

“Fook Island tuned to a local environment that was accessible and playful, but also profound in challenging ideas of South African nationalism. Battiss’s imaginary island – created through the production of

heraldry, titles, postage stamps, and rituals – offered an escape from the South African condition and identity”.

Jaroszynska dealt with surrealism in her own distinctive way; it is perhaps due to her upbringing in Finland that her work reveals another viewpoint towards the genre.

Her work triggers imagination and curiosity while being observed. Throughout the Helsinki- series a specific emphasis was given to similar looking male figures dressed or decorated in clown-like attire. These whimsical characters are all dressed in enlarged ruffled clown collars that give them a somewhat eccentric appearance.

Their playful characteristics are to some extent deceiving as it also relates to a dark and sinister experience. The latter is due to the anonymity of the figure, but also the attire that reminds one of a medieval

Man in a window, 1974, three colour lithograph

righteous character. The over-sized ruffled collar further resembles the mid-16th century European clothing fashion favoured by both men and women as a symbol of aristocracy. The use of the emphasised ruffled collar on the figures together with Jaroszynska’s depictions, could also relate to the artists obsession with, as Fernand Haenggi stated, ‘old art’ and has been influenced by impressions of ‘Medieval painting and memories of Scandinavian folk art’.

With further investigation the viewer is also tempted to wonder whether Jaroszynska did not purposefully play with contrasted elements and ideologies of good and evil, and that it is human nature that we all have a ‘dark’ side. Clowns, as playful as they may seem, also laugh at someone else’s pain, fear and ugliness. These mystifying images with their overemphasised collars and clothes bear elements of these contrasting philosophies.

Yo-yo in the window, 1974, dry point etching with aquatint

His master’s eye, 1975, oil on canvas

Once noticed, the playful mystical hints in her work are ever-present. Animals, wide eyed and zombie-like, horses stout-hearted, yet it seems like it belongs on a merry-go-round, figures playing with yo-yo’s and a constant referral to the magicians’ gloves as if the hands are playing tricks.

When viewed together, a carnivalesque atmosphere transpires in the room, rounded off with an ethereal uncertainty of where this dream world is located.

Oliewenhuis Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein. It is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays between 09:00 and 16:00. R10 parking fee will be charged but entrance to the museum is free.

For more information on Oliewenhuis Art Museum please contact the Museum at 051 011 0525 (ext 200) or oliewen@nasmus.co.za. Stay up to date by following Oliewenhuis Art Museum on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for all upcoming exhibitions and events.

Bibliography

Berman, E. 1994. Art and the artists of South Africa: an illustrated biographical dictionary and historical survey of artists since 1875. Pretoria: Southern book publishers.

Anon. “ Artodessy: Karen Jaroszynska” (available at http://artodyssey1.blogspot.com/2012/06/karinjaroszynska.html?m=1 as accessed on 12 August 2019)

Anon. “ Encyclopedia Britannica: Ruff collar” (available at https://www.britannica.com/topic/ruffcollar as accessed on 8 August 2019)

Anon. “Fernand F. Haenggi: initiator of the Pelmama Permanent Art Collection and the former Pelmama Academy Soweto projects and well known SA art dealer and collector” (available at http://www. za-ch-art-kunst.ch/ARTLinks/FFH_CVbrief.htm as accessed on 13 August 2019)

Muller, J & Elgar, F. 1972. A Century of modern painting. London: Thames and Hudson.

Van wyk, R. 2011. The (non)sense of humour. In Robbroeck, L. Visual Century: South African art in context. Volume 2 1945-1976. Johannesburg: Wits University Press.

Table in the meadow, 1974, aquatint etching

We’ve found South Africa’s new artistic talent

Exhibition Dates 07 September to 29 October 2023

Featuring Solo Exhibition by Mondli Agustine Mbhele Winner of Sasol New Signatures 2022

#SasolNewSignatures

A CELEBRATION OF AFRICAN IDENTITY

UBUSO and Crown Chakra: Inspire, Empower, Elevate Art@Africa Gallery CT

Head dress and hair has been an integral feature of black history - from African tribal styles to dreadlocks and the afro. Ancient African communities fashioned their hair for more than just style. Hair was a sacred cultural and spiritual symbol. Headwear and hairstyles not only enhance and beautify the head, but often communicate personal and cultural knowledge and attitudes about the human experience.

Till this day, the expression of beauty through hairstyles, has been a long-standing signature of Black culture. From the “fro” to hair wraps, to braids, black women use their hairstyles as a personal expression of who they are. This treatment of hair also provides insight into the evolution of Black culture over time; an evolution which has brought us to a time when more and more Black women are embracing the natural beauty of their own hair and interpretations of traditional head dress. What is also clear, is a growing movement of female empowerment - by women, for women. The “crown” is a metaphor for this female empowerment.

It is the ultimate symbol of strength and courage, but it also signifies someone who serves her people with dedication, diplomacy, and determination.

When Dirk Durnez from Art@Africa, a Cape Town V&A Waterfront based art gallery, met Vuyo Oyiya, he was intrigued by Vuyo’s massive headwrap, or as she calls it “Doek”. After Vuyo explained her interpretation of Doek, Dirk told Vuyo “You are living art”, and so the idea was born to turn her Doek into permanent sculptures. A year later, the first doek-sculpture was made at Kunye Colab studios, and showcased in the Art@Africa gallery, where it was almost immediately purchased by a European art collector. This was the start of a great collaboration between Vuyo and Kunye Colab. Kunye is a collaboration between young emerging artists under the direction of Cape

Town based, Belgian-born, imagineer & impresario Dirk Durnez, who – in the final phase of his career – decided to transfer his 38 years of international experience and know-how in themed construction, edutainment and art toward young, emerging artists.

“For an artist to buy canvas and paint is easy”, says Dirk’s wife and business partner, Katlijn Pynket. “For sculptures and 3D works, the bar is much higher. Often, emerging sculptors have no access to expensive materials and equipment needed to create sculptures. That’s why we assist young and promising sculptors to create a career for themselves by offering them a stocked and equipped studio through scholarship, residencies, and training programs. We often invest in production and bronze casting.”

From a very young age, Dirk was immersed in a very diverse artistic biotope; his grandfather was a classical marble sculptor, his dad was a jazz musician with classical and orchestral training, and his mom a silk–painter & flower-artist. Dirk was involved in themed construction for museum -, science-, edutainment - and art centres in 27 countries before finally settling in South Africa in 1996 where he was involved in many groundbreaking projects for which he employed and guided over 500 artists and over 800 artisans.

Unveiling of Crown Chakra.

“We believe that talent does not lie across the ocean but right in our backyard. Tied into this we do not believe in the white cube gallery space that is only digestible for a select few but rather believe that art should be enjoyed by all “, says Dirk. He continues; “We celebrate one of the most diverse countries in the world, and Kunye Colab, our multi-coloured and genderless icon, stands for how art unites us. It is time to give back to the country that has given me so many creative opportunities”. When Dirk approached the V&A Waterfront to add a monumental sculpture celebrating African Identity to their public art offering, they recognised the opportunity to engage visitors and art-lovers alike, in a multi-activity campaign that aimed to make art digestible to all, with demo’s, activities and ‘meet-and-greets’ with the artists.

It took Kunye Colab 3 months to produce the 3-meter-high sculpture. In line with Art@ Africa’s and the V&A Waterfront’s values, the sculpture is made in EcoStone, a sustainable water-based composite, used for the first time

by Dirk’s company for the themed construction of Canal Walk. The formidable V&A Marketing team, under the direction of Tinyiko Mageza, prepared a massive campaign to unroll during the month of August, with the slogan “This is how I wear my crown”, starting on Woman’s Day. During the month of August, over 400,000 people engaged with the campaign.

Karla de la Bat, placemaking coordinator at the V&A Waterfront stated that “The V&A Waterfront is Africa’s most popular tourist destination hosting over 25 million visitors per year. We recognise that public art is a powerful tool to communicate important messages, and an essential part of our public space offerings. The installation of Crown Chakra, already a beloved piece in our free and accessible, openair gallery, is proof of how crucial messages can be shared in fun and alternative ways.”

The Crown Chakra at V&A Waterfront.

An extraordinary collection of South African Contemporary art

Johan Steyn

Kobus Walker

Caelyn Robertson

Eben

Kunye Colab

Corné Eksteen, 50MHz, Oil on canvas, 80 x 80cm, 2023

FIFTY FIVE DECADES OF LIVED EXPERIENCE AND MEMORY

A Solo Exhibition by Corne Eksteen AITY Gallery Franschhoek aitygallery.com

“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon?”- Dr. Seuss.

Time is a fundamental dimension of the human experience. We use it to coordinate our lives, organise our memories and to make plans. Culturally we think of time as an unstoppable linear flow. Although a problematic concept in physics, we have perfected measuring it, and developed a refined “sense of time” as a mandatory tool for a healthy personal life and professional success.

Our subjective experience of time is however very different from how time is measured. Psychologists and social scientists agree that our experience of time speeds up with age. In a recent scientific study published in the “European Review,” Professor Adrian Bejan presented an argument based on the physics of neural signal processing. He hypothesized that, over time, the rate at which we process visual information slows down, and that this is what makes time ‘speed up’ as we grow older.

He argues that: “As we age, the size and complexity of the networks of neurons in our brains increases – electrical signals must traverse greater distances and thus signal processing takes more time. Moreover, ageing causes our nerves to accumulate damage that provides resistance to the flow of electric signals, further slowing processing time.” Focusing on visual perception, Bejan suggests that slower processing times result in us perceiving fewer ‘frames-per-second’ – more actual time passes between the perception of each new mental image. This is what leads to time passing more rapidly.

It is within this context that Corné Eksteen, who is turning 50, explores his own personal subjective experience of time speeding up. He uses the number 50 and all its contemporary and pop culture associations as inspiration for a body of work that reflects on 5 decades of lived experience and memory. Visually, the work explores the notion of less “frames-per-second.”

“FIFTY,” Corne Eksteen’s highly anticipated second solo exhibition at AITY Gallery, Franschhoek, opens 28 October 2023. In celebration of Eksteen’s 50th birthday, “FIFTY” promises to be a thought-provoking and visually captivating experience showcasing the artist’s latest paintings.

Visit AITY Gallery, Heritage Square, 9 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek. For more information about “FIFTY” and Corne Eksteen, visit aitygallery. com or contact gallery@aitygallery.com

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Master Printmaker, Joshua Miles Solo Exhibition

FynArts Gallery

By Angela Miles hermanusfynarts.co.za

Cape Town blues

Joshua Miles, now living in Scotland, will offer a solo exhibition at the FynArts Gallery, Hermanus from Saturday 18 November to Sunday 10 December.

Joshua Miles was born in the Western Cape. His father was a magistrate and so they moved around during his childhood. He grew up mainly in rural areas and spent his holidays by the sea. His high school and student years were spent in Cape Town. All these places where he has lived makes him relate to the Western Cape as home.

Drawing quietly in a corner through his childhood and spending time with his Aunt Elsa Miles, witnessing her doing woodcuts - Joshua felt the obvious choice for him was to study art. Seeing her working in relief printmaking is what he thought art should be. As a landscape artist, some of his early inspiration came from the landscapes of Pierneef and Hugo Naudé. Joshua goes on regular hunting trips to find his perfect image. He has travelled most of the back roads in the Western Cape to capture the play of light on the land.

Joshua has a passion for light and how it creates moods. It is often in an everyday scene, the shadow of a cloud moving over a vast valley, a glint of sun, a dusty haze on a dirt road after a bakkie passes, a halo around a sheep or seeing through the top layer of water to the glowing depths below. Even before Joshua points his camera, he is seeing composition, colour, contrast and mood. Already with his eye he has broken the image up into tones that become the different layers of both his printing techniques of linocuts and monotypes.

Sheep and canola

Kruisrivier turksvye

Joshua is inspired by the impressionists’ style of loose mark making and how those marks then read as realism from a distance. He also uses the Japanese technique of gradient rolling in his work. Many years painting oil on canvas has influenced how he applies the ink. He uses his rollers like large paintbrushes, applying many colours to each layer to build up the image. The softer marks of the monotype process are a more recent exploration and are a combination of painting and printmaking.

After his studies and time traveling Europe, Joshua lived in Hermanus where he met his Scottish wife. They have been married more than twenty-five years, moving between their two home countries. The Swallow lifestyle was an obvious choice for them to satisfy the longing or pining for that place they feel is home.

In his latest exhibition, Joshua is showing a cross-section of works from the different areas of the Western Cape where he grew up.

Some are new and some older works as they represent the different chapters of his life in South Africa.

It seems fitting to have this exhibition in Hermanus as it’s where the dream began. From meeting his wife, to the lifestyle he has now. With only a part of the year to spend in his homeland, Joshua yearns being in a place where he has built-up long-term friendships and feels familiar, which to him is what makes home.

For more information on Joshua’s latest exhibition, Home visitwww.hermanusfynarts.co.za

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Tierfontein Pines

CENTURY CITY UNVEILS REMARKABLE ANTON SMIT ARTWORK IN THE SUBWAY

antonsmit.co.za

Century City unveiled a spectacular artwork by world-renowned South African artist, Anton Smit, at a VIP event on Tuesday, 19 September, in an unusual location, The Subway. Commissioned by the Century City Arts Foundation, “Landscape of the Soul” was formally opened to the public at an event attended by over a hundred invitees.

Known as The Subway, an underpass exists underneath the main arterial road, Century Boulevard. A canal runs through its centre, and with its three-metre-high arched columns, the space has a cathedral-like ambience. The Subway connects the old part of Century City to the new and stands at the edge of Ratanga Park. Thousands of visitors to the surrounding hotels, restaurants, and Conference Centre, tourists and locals enjoying boat rides, canoeing and kayaking on the canal, and hundreds of runners at the weekly parkrun, all use The Subway.

“Since the inception of the Century City Arts Trail in 2014, we have commissioned original art across the precinct in unusual places,” says John Chapman, Chairman of the Century City Arts Foundation (CCAF). From a mural underneath a bridge, painted by Chris Auret, to giant otters made of scrap steel by Callum Pickard and displayed on an unused abutment, our goal is to beautify Century City with original local art. The Subway was identified last year as an area with great potential, and we were reminded of all the beautifully decorated subways that you find across the world’s underground stations. Some of them are like mini-art galleries, and our vision was to turn this cold concrete space into an art attraction and a place for people to pause and linger, rather than speed through.”

Anton Smit, Landscape of the Soul

The Landscape of the Soul is the largest single composite artwork that Anton has made to date, incorporating various sizes of fragmented masks, each of which are securely mounted on the wall in a staggered series of faces forming a lyrical wave of identity. This juxta position of 500 masks, protruding from a 33 metre long wall, three metres high, is an impressive sight to behold in its entirety. But as you step closer, you see that every face is fragmented. Each viewpoint transforms the landscape into something else entirely.

“The vastness of it the space, invites bold, fluid art,” says Anton Smit. “Therefore, the vision spans the entire length of the pedestrian walkway. I love people, and people are the inspiration for all my work. For this expansive installation I wanted to illustrate that even though we are all faces in the crowd, we do form a unity through love that binds us. We realise that the only way we can know ourselves is through others. Our reflections crave companionship, recognition and mostly love.”

In addition to the visionary delight that Landscape of the Soul brings to the viewer, original music has also been composed to accompany the artwork. Triggered by a motion sensor, every person who passes, will simultaneously listen to one of five music scores, each a minute long. These loop in sequence, stopping and starting as people move past the artwork. Composed by Graeme Lees and performed by various local artists sponsored by the Cape Town Music Academy, visual and auditory art is celebrated.

But how did this installation come about? Chapman explains that a Request for Proposal was issued to all artists who previously created art for Century City, and it was extended to all interested artists. Many exquisite proposals were received and were considered. “However, Anton Smit had a different vision altogether, and with a to-scale model, he presented his vision for Landscape of the Soul to us. We were just blown away by the idea of an installation that incorporated faces of up to three metres tall, spanning across the entire 33 metre wall.”

From left to right: Chris Blackshaw (CEO, Century City Property Owners’ Association and Trustee of Century City Arts Foundation), Anton Smit, Viv Gutsche (Sponsor and Trustee of Century City Arts Foundation), John Chapman (Chairman of the Century City Arts Foundation).

“Anton’s proposal was spectacular, but not something that the CCAF could afford. At our Century City quarterly board meeting, we put our heads together and came up with a “crowd funding” concept, whereby we would approach corporates and businesses with an interest to see this vision come to life, to assist us in funding this dream.”

The twelve generous sponsors are Rabie Property Group, Nedbank, Canal Walk, Gimco, Asset Matrix, Securitas, WBHO, Property World, Store-age, Signatura, Century City Property Owners’ Association and Century City Arts Foundation, who all gave equally to fund the project. Additional contributions were made by Eagle Lighting, who supplied and installed the lighting, and Cape Town Music Academy for sponsoring the original score to accompany the artwork.

“We are beyond grateful to each sponsor who realised the potential of this visionary and legacy-making installation by Anton Smit,” concludes Chapman. “The effort by Anton and his team is mind-blowing. From making almost 500 masks, to planning and plotting it in his studio in Somerset West and installing it painstakingly in the cold and wind during July, is an exemplary accomplishment and a fantastic achievement. We are forever humbled that Anton chose Century City for one of his greatest art installations to date.”

View the Anton Smit Open Air Exhibition brochure here: https://online.flippingbook. com/view/568699437/

Anton Smit, Landscape of the Soul.

“The vastness of it the space, invites bold, fluid art,” says Anton Smit. “Therefore, the vision spans the entire length of the pedestrian walkway.”

STRAUSS & CO

Unseen Renoir from South African collection, recently authenticated in Paris, headlines Strauss & Co’s globe-spanning auction straussart.co.za

• Recently authenticated Renoir owned by South African headlines special focus auction.

• Auction features high-profile artists representing over 20 nations.

• High-value painting by French street artist Mr Brainwash.

• Focus on expatriate South Africans Albert Adams, Terrence McCaw and Enslin du Plessis

A blissful late-career still life by pioneer French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir will lead Transcending Boundaries, Strauss & Co’s spotlight auction of art from the Americas, Asia Pacific, British Isles, Europe and South Africa on 25 October 2023. Painted in 1912, Renoir’s Fruits (Oranges et Citrons) (estimate R2-3 million / $105 850 –

158 785) bears the defining hallmarks of this much-admired painter’s late style and was recently authenticated by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute in Paris.

Acquired in the 1970s by a South African collector, Renoir’s energetic small scale study of oranges and lemons casts a timely spotlight on the worldly tastes of South African collectors. Renoir’s Fruits (Oranges et Citrons) forms part of a curated selection of collectable art by high-profile artists such as Mr Brainwash, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Edward Seago, Henry Moore, Nam June Paik, John Piper and Tom Wesselmann. Transcending Boundaries also includes in-sale focuses on Albert Adams and Enslin du Plessis, expatriate South African artists whose much-admired work was strongly influenced by continental art movements.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, FRENCH 1841-1919, Fruits (Oranges et Citrons), R 2 000 000 - 3 000 000

Lynn Chadwick, BRITISH 1914-2003, Watchers, R 8 000 - 12 000

Edward Seago, BRITISH 1910-1974, End of the Garden - Summer Morning, R 120 000 - 160 000

Henry Moore, BRITISH 1898-1986, Sculptural Object, Sculptural Objects Series (CGM 7), R 14 000 - 18 000

Joan Miró, SPANISH 1893-1983, Bonjour Max Ernst (Dupin 936, Cramer 215), R 60 000 - 80 000

Enslin du Plessis, SOUTH AFRICAN 1894-1978, An Interior at the home of Edward Wolfe, R 20 000 - 30 000

Enslin du Plessis, SOUTH AFRICAN 1894-1978, The Cut-River Rayon, Bristol, R 20 000 - 30 000

“Featuring artists from 20 countries, Transcending Boundaries offers an insight into the generational tastes of collectors in South Africa,” says Ian Hunter, Head of Sale, Strauss & Co. “The catalogue encompasses a wide cross-section of artistic expression, from the late Victorian period to contemporary street artists. We are particularly delighted to be offering Fruits (Oranges et Citrons), which Renoir painted at his estate of Les Collettes in the south of France. The recently authenticated composition, which will appear in the forthcoming Pierre-Auguste Renoir Digital Catalogue Raisonné, is a reminder of the wonderful international artworks still to be found in South African collections.”

Adds Ian Hunter: “Starting in the 1950s, dealers such as Matthew Whippman and Henry Lidchi in Johannesburg and Joseph Wolpe in Cape Town acquired top international artists for their South African clients. They serviced the market with fresh and exciting British and European studio lithographs and etchings by

the likes of Chadwick, Chagall, Miro, Moore, Nicholson, Picasso, Piper and Tilson, and American artists such as Rauschenberg, Rosenquist, Stella, Warhol and Wesselmann. Many of these artists appear in Transcending Boundaries.”

Alongside Renoir, the sale is headlined by another Gallic artist, Mr Brainwash (aka Thierry Guetta). His neo-pop composition Madonna (estimate R900 000 – 1 200 000 / $47 650 – 63 530) leads a strong consignment of contemporary graphics by Bambi and Takashi Murakami. Highlights from the English paintings include Edward Seago’s glade scene, End of the Garden – Summer Morning (estimate R120 000 – 160 000 / $6 360 – 8 480) and Julian Trevelyan’s Sienese Landscape-Variation II from 1958 (R40 000 –60 000 / 2 120 – 3 180), which is distinguished by its Renoir-like hot-orange pallete.

Marc Chagall, RUSSIAN/FRENCH 1887-1985, Isaiah, Bible No. 1 (Cramer 25, Mourlot 141), R 40 000 - 60 000

Andy Warhol, AMERICAN 1928-1987 Tattooed Woman Holding Rose, 1955, R 250 000 - 350 000

Business Art

STEPHAN WELZ & CO.

George Pemba – Painter Of The People

By Alexia Ferreira swelco.co.za

South Africa boasts a rich and diverse cultural heritage, and this richness extends to its artistic contributions. Many remarkable artists have captured the essence of the country’s struggles and triumphs through their art. Among these luminaries stands George Pemba, a distinguished artist whose work has left a mark on the nation’s artistic landscape. Pemba’s work goes beyond aesthetics; it is a powerful form of social commentary and advocacy. Pemba’s life and artistic journey offer a poignant reflection of South Africa’s past and a glimpse into its future.

Growing up in a time when the racial segregation policy of apartheid was taking root, Pemba’s experiences as a young black artist would shape his creative perspective and the themes that would permeate his work throughout his career. Living during a tumultuous period in South African history,

he used his art to shed light on the harsh realities of apartheid and the struggles of black South Africans. His paintings reflected the society he lived in, depicting both the joy and suffering experienced by his people. His art served as a mirror to the world around him, and he used his talent to convey the everyday experiences and struggles of South Africa’s black population during South Africa’s suppressive era.

Pemba’s ability to capture the human form with such precision allowed him to convey emotions, history, and the essence of his subjects in a deeply evocative manner. Pemba had a keen eye for capturing the nuances of human expression and sentiment, and his paintings are noted for their empathy and humanity. One of Pemba’s most significant contributions was his ability to humanize his subjects, giving a voice and dignity to

George Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba (South African 1912 - 2001) West End, signed and dated ‘53, oil on board, 24 by 34cm; 54 by 44cm, including frame. Est: R200 000 – R250 000

those who were often marginalized and dehumanized by nationalist policies.

One of Pemba’s recurring themes was the depiction of rural life in South Africa. His paintings often showcased scenes of farm labour, family gatherings, and traditional ceremonies. Pemba’s social commentary also extended beyond rural life to include the urban black experience. His art frequently highlighted the challenges faced by black South Africans in cities, where they encountered discrimination and segregation. His works captured moments of quiet strength, resilience, and unity, emphasizing the importance of community and solidarity.

Through his art, Pemba challenged the status quo and called attention to the injustices of his time. His work served as a catalyst for important conversations about race, identity, and equality

in South Africa. The importance of Pemba’s work in South African art history extends far beyond the boundaries of time. His personal artistic style remains relevant in contemporary South Africa and the broader global context for several reasons. First and foremost, Pemba’s commitment to social justice and his unflinching portrayal of the human condition always resonated with art lovers. His paintings serve as a reminder of the struggles faced by marginalized communities and the importance of using art as a tool for social change and encouragement of all people.

Additionally, Pemba’s work is a source of inspiration for emerging artists, particularly those from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. His journey from humble beginnings to international recognition serves as a beacon of hope and a testament to the transformative power of art. George Pemba’s

George Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba (South African 1912 - 2001) Street Scene, signed and dated 65, oil on canvas laid down on board, 35,5 by 45,5cm; 46 by 56 by 4cm including frame. Est: R200 000 – R300 000

significance in South African art history is undeniable. His art transcends the canvas, serving as a powerful vehicle for inspiration and storytelling. Through his realistic portrayals of everyday life and his unyielding commitment to justice, Pemba left an indelible mark on the art world and the broader struggle for equality in South Africa.

As we celebrate the legacy of George Pemba, we must recognize that his work is not merely a reflection of the past; it is a timeless testament to the enduring power of art to illuminate the human experience and provoke meaningful change. His legacy continues to inspire and challenge us to confront the injustices of our world and strive for a more equitable future. George Pemba’s art lives on as a reminder that art has the power to transcend barriers and speak to the hearts and minds of people across generations and cultures.

Stephan Welz & Co. is proud to have offered notable works by this prestigious artist in the past and look forward to offering Street Scene on our penultimate sale of the year. We encourage clients to diarise the dates for our upcoming premium auction in Cape Town on 17-19 October, followed by our premium auction in Johannesburg on 21-23 November. To view the available lots, visit www.swelco. co.za where one can register and also bid.

For any queries, contact our Johannesburg branch at 011 880 3125 or at info@swelco.co.za or our Cape Town branch at 021 794 6461 or contact ct@swelco.co.za.

George Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba (South African 1912 - 2001)

Grace Msimang, titled, signed and dated Dec. 1981 in ink, ink on paper, 28,5 by 24cm; 32,5 by 28 by 1,5cm including frame. Est: R11 000 – R14 000 - Hammer: R13 530

George Milwa Mnyaluza Pemba (South African 1912 - 2001)

Portrait Of Mrs. Maud Zibi, titled, signed and dated July 1982 in ink, ink on paper, 35,5 by 29cm; 40 by 33 by 1,5cm including frame. Est: R14 000 – R16 000 - Hammer: R13 530

“Pemba’s life and artistic journey offer a poignant reflection of South Africa’s past and a glimpse into its future.”

Art, antiques, objets d’art, furniture, and jewellery wanted for forthcoming auctions

William Kentridge, Fire Walker SOLD R85 000

Errol Boyley, The Oaks at Alphen SOLD R20 000

Norman Catherine, Red Sweater SOLD R80 000

ARTGO

OCT-NOV 2023

NEW GALLERIES, ONGOING SHOWS AND OPENING EXHIBITIONS

ARTGO: OCTOBER 2023

OPENING EXHIBITIONS

DAOR Contemporary Mpumelelo Buthelezi

The Raw Lifestyle

Until 31/10/2023

www.daor.co.za

Knysna Fine Art

During October, Knysna Fine Art is hosting Willem Boshoff’s ‘Blind Alphabet’ installation, which is part of the matric art syllabus. On the 23rd of November 2023, Knysna Fine Art will be opening a its 25th Anniversary Exhibition and hosting a party to celebrate its birthday. www.finearts.co.za

Oliewenhuis Art Museum

The clown, the horse and the hound

A selection of artworks by female surrealist Karin Jaroszynska by Yolanda de Kock. Oliewenhuis

Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein.

RK Contemporary LEPUS - Constellation of the Rabbit

A group exhibition curated by Judy Woodborne. 2023: The Water Rabbit. The rabbit is the fourth animal in the Chinese Zodiac and is thought to be the luckiest of all 12 animals. It symbolises mercy, elegance and beauty and people born in this year are generally considered calm and peaceful. 01/10/2023 until 29/10/2023

www.rkcontemporary.com

50 CORNÉ EKSTEEN FIFTY

28.10.2023 17.11.2023

04/10/2023

www.everard-read-capetown.co.za

ART AT AFRICA

Natural Delights

Solo Exhibition by Kobus Walker

This exhibition was inspired by the wide variety of the natural world we live in, how we interact as humans towards the elements and our impact.

18:30pm - 22:00pm 05/10/2023 opening until 04/11/2023. www.artatafrica.art and www.artatafrica.art/pages/kobus-walker

Everard Read Cape Town States Of Flow Exhibition of new sculpture by William Peers

until 28/10/2023

w w w . a i t y g a l l e r y . c o m

@ a i t y g a l l e r y f r a n s c h h o e k

ARTGO: OCTOBER 2023

OPENING EXHIBITIONS

The Cape Gallery

WildLife 2023 | Group Exhibition.

Once a year The Cape Gallery invites artists committed to preserving our natural heritage to participate in a group exhibition showcasing the abundance and variety of South African wildlife 05/10/2023 until 11/11/2023.

www.capegallery.co.za

DAOR Contemporary

Neither Here Nor There | Solo Exhibition by Elmarie Van Straten Walkabout 5 October 2023 from 5 PM. Exhibition concludes 30/10/2023

Suspended Exposure | Solo exhibition by Jozelle McLea| Opens 6 PM 02/11/2023

www.daor.co.za

Gallery 2

Road Trip | A solo exhibition by John Kramer

Kramer is endlessly fascinated by the buildings, shops, bioscopes and general dealer stores that lie scattered across South Africa, especially those of the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape, Eastern Free State and Karoo. 07/10/2023 until 04/11/2023.

www.gallery2.co.za

Fynarts Gallery Hermanus

Abundance | On Saturday 7 October at 11:00

Odette Tolksdorf will open this group exhibition of 17 fibre artists, curated by Dal Botha. 07/10/2023 until 12/11/2023

www.fynartsgallery.co.za

Art.b gallery

Ceramix | An exhibition of renowned Ceramicists as well as renowned print artists.

14/10/23 until 28/10/23

www.artb.co.za

Everard Read Franschhoek

The Future Remembered

Solo exhibition by Angela Banks

Opening 11AM Saturday 14/10/2023

14/10/2023 until 05/11/2023

www.everard-read-franschhoek.co.za

Nel

BUILT by Madeleine van Manen in the first-floor gallery. Madeleine van Manen turns toward the urban landscape and issues related to place and belonging.

25/10/2023 to 17/11/2023

www.nelart.co.za

NEL

The launch of South African band Die Kaalkop Waarheid’s latest Album “In Die Kaap”. In Collaboration with the Fine Artist, Erna Groenewald they are setting the stage for an unforgettable lyrical experience.

Opening 12/08/2023 18h00- 20h00 pm

www.nelart.co.za

ARTGO: OCTOBER 2023

OPENING EXHIBITIONS

Oliewenhuis Art Museum

The Umbatha Series | By Lucky Madlo Sibiy

The White Monday Disaster Series | By Cecil Skotnes.

26/10/2023 until 26/11/2023

Oliewenhuis Art Museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein.

AITY Gallery

FIFTY by Corne Eksteen

With “FIFTY,” Eksteen invites us to witness five decades of his own lived experiences and memories through a visually stunning exploration that hints at the idea of perceiving fewer “framesper-second” as time advances.

28/10/2023 until 17/11/2023

www.aitygallery.com

Art.b gallery

Intertwinement/Verstrengel

An exhibition by Jo Rogge and Nicky von Wiese. 04/11/2023 until 28/11/2023

www.artb.co.za

The Viewing Room Gallery

Per(pet)ual Memorium by Tricia Visser Masters Solo Exhibition 04/11/2023 until 11/11/2023

www.theviewingroom.co.za

RK Contemporary

Embodied - Portraits and human form in art convey universal themes, emotions, and identity. They explore complex issues like gender, sexuality, and ethnicity, acting as a medium for socio-political narratives and activism. Bastiaan van Stenis, Jaco Benade & Ella Cronje use portraits and human representation to explore the human experience. 05/11/2023 until 27/ 11/2023

www.rkcontemporary.com

Gallery 2

Mind Garden | A group exhibition

Your mind is the garden, your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds – from a poem by William Wordsworth In this group exhibition each artist has been invited to interpret and explore the above quote by William Wordsworth. 2023, through to January, February 2024. 11/11/2023 until 24/02/2024

www.gallery2.co.za

Rust-en-Vrede Gallery + Clay Museum

Ralph Johnson at 80

A celebration of ceramic artist and mentor, Dr Ralph Johnson in the Gallery and Clay Museum. 11/11/2023 until 09/12/2023

www.rust-en-vrede.com

Rust-en-Vrede Gallery ContemPLATE

A solo exhibition by Sonja Kastner 11/11/2023 until 09/12/2023

www.rust-en-vrede.com

ARTGO: OCTOBER 2023

OPENING EXHIBITIONS

Gallery @ Glen Carlou ZOO // ANIMALIA

A Group Exhibition featuring works by Amber Alcock, Andrew Mogridge, Candice Dawn Blignaut, Emily Rae Labuschagne, Gabriele

Jacobs, Jacob van Schalkwyk, JP Meyer, Katherine Bull, Katja Abbott, Miro van der Vloed, Morne Pierre Venter, Nathan Janse van Vuuren, Nelis Singels, Pauline Gutter, Stephen Rosin and more…12/11/2023 until 21/01/2024

www.glencarlou.com

Gallery Glen Carlou

The History of the Accidental Green Finger

A Solo Exhibition by Alex Hamilton Image: Alex Hamilton, Crassula Ovata Dude, mixed media, 30 x 30cm 12/11/2023 until 21/01/2024

www.glencarlou.com

Fynarts Gallery Hermanus

Home by Joshua Miles

On Saturday 18 November at 11:00 Johans Borman will open the exhibition HomeI now live like a swallow so the idea of home has become even more powerful, the Western Cape remains in my heart. 18/11/2023 until 09/12/2023

www.fynartsgallery.co.za

Everard Read JHB

Lady Skollie: Winner of the 2022 Standard Bank Young Award for Visual Arts 31/11/2023 until 31/12/2023

www.everard-read.co.za

The Umabatha series by Lucky Madlo Sibiya & The White Monday Disaster series by Cecil Skotnes_Art Times advert_set up for print

ARTGO: OCTOBER 2023 ONGOING SHOWS

Rust-en-Vrede Gallery

Portrait Award 2023 – Top 40 Exhibition

An exhibition of portraits by the Top 40 finalists of the 2023 Portrait Award Exhibition as selected by the adjudication panel. 02/09/2023 – 02/10/2023

www.Rust-en-Vrede.com

Spier Arts Trust Union House

PORTRAIT 100

See 60 more of the Top 100 selected works from the Portrait Award 2023 Competition. 04/09/2023 until 13/10/2023

www.Rust-en-Vrede.com

What If The World | Cape Town

Civilian, a solo exhibition of new works by Michele Mathison.

16/09/2023 until 21/10/2023

www.whatiftheworld.com

EBONY/CURATED

Hiatus | A group exhibition displaying works by Anico Mostert, Kimathi Mafafo, Yolanda Mazwana, Boemo Diale, Matty Monethi, Balekane Legoabe, Agnes Waruguru, Liam Van Der Heever, Kamohelo Blessing Rooi, Buqaqawuli Nobakada. 20/09/2023 until 28/10/2023

www.ebonycurated.com

ARTGO: OCTOBER 2023

ONGOING SHOWS

The Viewing Room Art Gallery

TUT 3D Exhibition: New TorchbearersGroup Exhibition. Young artists are the future of art, as torchbearers, these young artists are preparing to venture into the art industry and will become leaders and shapers of the arts. Torchbearers are viewed as people that light the way for others to follow all the time, lighting their own path forward, they become beacons of hope.

23/09/2023 until 28/10/2023

www.theviewingroom.co.za

Ingoma Yothando | A solo exhibition by Mondli Mbhele, Sasol New Signatures winner 2022

Mbhele’s solo exhibition will take place alongside the New Signatures 2023 exhibition | 118 works have been selected from around the South Africa to proceed to the final round of judging and will be featured in the competition’s catalogue for 2023. 07/09/2023 until 29/10/2023

www.sasolsignatures.co.za

Sasol New Signatures 2023 exhibition

The Sasol New Signatures exhibition featuring the work of the 2023 winners and finalists, takes place at the Pretoria Art Museum

Until 29/10/2023

www.sasolsignatures.co.za

Zeitz MOCAA

Mary Evans – GILT

Solo exhibition by Nigerian-born, British artist Mary Evans that offers a new series of sitespecific responses informed by a period of research and exploration in Cape Town, which the artist undertook in August 2022.

Until 29 October 2023

www.zeitzmocaa.museum

Pretoria Art Museum

Pretoria Art Museum

Melrose Gallery

SCULPTX 2023

The Largest Annual Sculpture Fair In The Country

01/09/2023 until 31/10/2023

www.themelrosegallery.com

Rust-en-Vrede Clay Museum

The CUBE: Getting ‘ahead’ of Lionel Smit

An exhibition of works by 9 ceramic artists/ studios being creative with a Lionel Smit head. 02/09/2023 until 02/11/2023

www.rust-en-vrede.com

Gallery Glen Carlou

Artwords | Curated by Jean Dreyer | Featuring works by: Anton Birkenmayer, Alta Botha, Benjamin Coutouvidis, Jean Dreyer, Klara du Plessis, Kadie Salmon, Karen Elkington, Xander Ferreira, Adelheid Frackiewicz, Laurel Ann Holmes, Elrie Joubert, Anton Kannemeyer, Dale Lawrence, Balekane Legoabe, Maia (Levan) LehrSacks, Warren Maroon, Maja Marx, Franli Meintjes, Henk Serfontein, Katherine Spindler, Carolyn Parton, Jeannette Unite, Diana Vives, Emma Willemse, Ingrid Winterbach,Sivan Zeffertt

10/09/2023 until 05/11/2023

www.glencarlou.com

Gallery Glen Carlou

Featuring works by Elske Henderson, Ingrid Bolton & Adele Sherlock 10/09/2023 until 05/11/2023

www.glencarlou.com

ARTGO: OCTOBER 2023

ONGOING SHOWS

Pretoria Art Museum

Bongi Bengu - The World / Umhlaba

Curated by Mmutle Arthur Kgokong, The World / Umhlaba, Bongi Bengu’s solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum, features paintings and select ceramics that reflect on her transformation and evolution to express her journey of transformation. Until 05/11/2023

The Norval Foundation, Cape Town

Having but little Gold: Berni Searle

Atrium and Galleries 2-8

Until 13/11/2023

www.norvalfoundation.org

The Norval Foundation | Cape Town

Maggie Laubser Portraits and the Landscape

1886 – 1973. The exhibition commemorates her artistic output fifty years after her death.

Gallery 1 Until 30/11/2023

www.norvalfoundation.org

Oliewenhuis Art Museum

Threads Of Visual Narratives

Traditional Artistry, Contemporary Art and National Heritage.

Until 03/12/2023

www.nasmus.co.za/visitorinformation

Durban Art Gallery | Kwa Zulu Natal

Pitika Ntuli

Return To The Source

Curated by Ruzy Rusike of the Melrose Gallery Until 21/01/2023

themelrosegallery.com

Rupert Museum

AbstRacT - the hidden synchrony

On show till February 2024

This exhibition takes a closer look at the synchrony in the complete Synchromies series by Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist and later turned photographer Oscar Forel (1891-1982) that was published in 1961. www.rupertmuseum.org

The Norval Foundation, Cape Town Collectors’ Focus: The Kilbourn Collection Famakan Magassa: Witness of My TimeCurated by Phokeng Setai Until 25/01/2024

www.norvalfoundation.org